Vivian burst through the dormitory and practically bounced around the room like a tornado, all while screaming those three words. Well, maybe screeching was more appropriate, Dollie thought.

“Doooooooooooooolllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!!???”

Dollie clasped her ears (Merlin, she’s loud), hoping like mad Vivian wouldn’t find her. She couldn’t go through with it, she couldn’t, she couldn’t, SHE COULD NOT…

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

The darkness that had previously surrounded her evaporated and was instead replaced by the much too bright afternoon sunshine that filled the room.

“Thought I wouldn’t find you, did you?” Vivian slyly said, her hand steadily holding her wand with ease above her head, controlling Dollie’s four-poster bed which she was levitating and Dollie had previously been hiding under.

She stood up and straightened her clothes, a bit rumpled from her crouching under her bed. Quickly moving away from the spot (the bed was getting unsteady in the air), and jumping onto Lily’s bed, she demanded her bed to be put down. Vivian shrugged and set it back gently onto its spot.

“Where’s Lily?” Dollie asked coolly, avoiding the query that was coming as to why she had been hiding under her bed.

“In the library, possibly with that Slytherin. So,” she dusted her hands as though it was no big deal that she had been levitating a bed, “How goes it?”

Dollie evaded her friend’s question and fell back on the soft, full duvet of the bed, grabbed Lily’s stuffed lion and tossed it into the air, caught it and repeated the game.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said nonchalantly.

Vivian rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in exaggerated exasperation. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Not telling me what’s bothering you.”

Dollie stopped playing with the lion and set it down so that she could prop her head on it, looking up at the ceiling. “What are you talking about? You’re one of my best friends, of course I tell you things,” she turned her head to face Vivian, “Don’t forget, I did tell you and Lily about my ‘interest’ in Remus. If that isn’t best friend trust, I don’t know what is.” She let out a half-hearted chuckle, feeling her heart give a flip-flop at the name.

“Yeah, but you only told us during fourth-year, last year, after one and a half years of friendship and even then, only because we caught you doodling his name on a piece of parchment. And even then, we had to hang you upside down until you admitted it to us,” Vivian gave a big guffaw at the memory while Dollie stuck her tongue out and felt her face burn. That was one school moment she didn’t care to remember.

“But you and Lily almost got detention because of that stunt, remember? And bear in mind that I had to get you out of it even though I was the victim,” Dollie prompted with a smirk, “I said that something had crawled into my shirt and you were just trying to get it out.”

“Hey! It wasn’t just you, alright. I had to go on a date with the Slytherin prefect who caught me just so he wouldn’t report it to Sluggy or McG,” Vivian shuddered, “Evan Rosier. Tried to feel me up on the date, that slimy git did. Anyway,” she waved the subject and memory away, “enough about my past dates, we have to talk about your soon to be date.”

Vivian walked over to Dollie and plopped down beside her on the bed. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?” she asked mischievously but concerned.

“No, I’m not! Why should I be nervous?” Dollie retorted hotly but unconvincingly.

“If you aren’t, then why have you been skipping meals in the Great Hall and having them in the dormitory since Black asked you out? As if you were avoiding him?”

“I haven’t been avoiding him. I just felt like it, that’s all.” She scowled and knew she was behaving like a child, but she couldn’t let Vivian know about her humiliating little secret…

“Doll, have you ever even been on a date?”

Dollie bit her tongue to stop the blush that was threatening to creep into her face. She used Lily’s lion to block her face, making sure Vivian didn’t see the expression of pure humiliation that was etched all over her features. She gave a fake ‘pfft’ at the notion and replied, “Of course I have. What do you think I am, a first-year?”

Vivian raised her eyebrows in scepticism and seeing the discomfort of her friend, she inquired as to when the alleged dates happened.

“During the summer. They were with Muggles so you don’t know them,” was the defensive answer. She shrugged and let the matter go.

“Well, I’d be nervous if I was about to embark on a date with the one of the smartest, best-looking, most popular and eligible bachelors in Hogwarts,” Vivian stated casually.

Dollie got off the bed and went over to the dorm-mirror. She ran her fingers through her tangled tresses as she responded, “Well, that’s you. As for me, one, I’m not nervous and two, it’s not a date.”

Vivian snorted with disbelief, “Kent, you can sweet-talk teachers and prefects, but you can’t fool me. One, I can tell you are bloody nervous because when you are, your fingers get restless and you start fiddling with your hair, and two, according to you a few days ago, it was a date.”

Dollie shoved her shaking hands into her pocket and groaned, “Merlin’s beard, that was a mistake. I said that for Remus’ benefit.” She inspected the acne on her face which, to her were enormous. “Anyway, I can’t go out with these disgusting things on my face. I look terrible! What if Remus is there?”

“Doll, don’t forget, your date is with Sirius Black. And I can just give you another make-over and make sure you don’t wash it all off and waste my hard work…”

Dollie turned to face Vivian with a look of horror spread across her face and with the recollection of the last make-over still stingingly fresh on her mind, she held up her hands in mock defence. “No!”

“Fine! You never let me have any fun.” Vivian rolled her eyes in response and pouted. Suddenly, her face lit up and Dollie got a bad feeling that Vivian was having another one of her ideas.

“What are you wearing for this date anyway?” she asked, her voice filled with glee and curiosity.

“Ermm, this?” she answered in a confused voice and gestured at her signature outfit consisting of baggy denim pants and a red t-shirt that had ‘There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel’ printed in big, black letters on the front and ‘just pray it isn’t a train’ at the back. She loved t-shirts with corny messages, she had a trunk full of them but when she acknowledge that this was what she was going to wear, Vivian practically had a heart attack.

“For the love of Merlin, NO!” Vivian leaped off the bed and ran to her own trunk. She rummaged through her stacks upon stacks of clothes until she threw something on Dollie’s bed. Dollie inspected what her friend had thrown. They looked like two coloured belts, one black and one pink. They were a quite thick for belts and she doubted that they would fit into her pants. Also, she was confused as to why Vivian would lend her a couple of belts in the first place.

“Uh, Viv?” she held up the two articles of clothing to Vivian, “why do I need two belts?”

“Sometimes I forget how naïve you are.” Vivian rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Those, my dear best friend, are my best TT and MM.” When she was rewarded with a befuddled look for her explanation, she gave an annoyed sigh to accompany her rolled eyes. “My best Tube Top and Micro Mini.”

Dollie closely examined the pieces of clothing in her hand and found to her great horror that her friend was right. She dropped them in surprise and exclaimed incredulously, “Are you Mental?! No Bloody Way am I wearing these! They barely cover my decency!”

“What about this?” she held up a tiny piece of cloth held up by strings.

“And what pray tell is that?” she asked wearily, knowing her friend’s answer wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“A String Thong.”

“VIVIAN!”

Vivian pouted and, using her wand, arranged everything back in her trunk. “Then what are you wearing? I’m not letting you out of this room wearing THAT.” She pointed to Dollie’s outfit. “Don’t you have anything else remotely appropriate?”

“Like what?” asked an exasperated Dollie. What was the big deal about what she was wearing, anyway? Clothes don’t make the girl, contrary to what Vivian thought. She knew she shouldn’t have introduced her Pure-blooded friend to Muggle clothing. Now she was practically obsessed with them. All the fuss about bell-bottoms and tube tops and short shorts.

“What about these?”

Dollie shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to see Vivian lying out on her bed a sleeveless V-neck, multi-coloured vest-sweater, a white three-quarter shirt and a pair of fitted but not too tight black pants that flared at the bottom and had glittery swirls at the end. The combination of the articles of clothing were tasteful yet not over the top and overdressed. Vivian had done well, for once.

“Wow, Viv, these are…whose clothes are they?”

“My pants, your shirt and Lily’s vest-sweater,” she gestured to each of the pieces. “Hurry and try them on, it’s almost time for your date.”

Dollie cracked a nervous smile and jumped onto her bed. She pulled the thick velvet hangings of the bed to close them, as to ensure privacy. Vivian waited anxiously and when Dollie stepped out, she gasped in surprise. The vest-sweater brought colour to her friend’s pale face while the length of the sleeves of the shirt and pants enhanced her slender, willowy frame. Vivian was feeling generous so she let Dollie choose her shoes. Unfazed, Dollie picked her favourite black scuffed, dirty Converse High-tops with flame patterned shoelaces.

“So, do I look alright?” Dollie asked nervously while scrutinizing her reflection.

Vivian went over to Dollie and gave her a reassuring squeeze while she whispered encouragingly, “Black won’t know what hit him!”

“Really?” her face flushed with the overall effect of nerves.

Vivian gave a roguish wink, “Make me proud.”

********************

“Oi, it’s a quarter past four. I don’t think she’s going to show up.”

Sirius gave his trademark bark-laugh as he brushed away his dark hair that kept falling and getting into his eyes. He couldn’t have asked for a better day to have a date. An endless sky of immaculate blue, dotted with a few well-placed pure white clouds, filled the horizon while the sun smiled just bright enough for it to be warm but not scorching hot. James and himself were standing in the middle of the vast Quidditch pitch while Remus sat in the bleachers reading his Astronomy book and Peter was standing at the entrance, waiting to give the signal when she arrived.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had just finish practice so James was still in his training robes. Sirius had joined them for awhile, flying a few rounds, so he was standing with James wearing a pair of black Muggle trousers and a slightly damp white t-shirt. They were both still holding their brooms. The other team-mates were now scattering, heading out to either study or just hang out with friends. A few of them lingered on the bleachers, which didn’t bother Sirius.

What bothered him were the cluster of various girls of age and houses that were sitting in the lower seats of the bleachers. These girls were privately known as ‘The Marauders Fan Girls’ but ‘Sirius Black and James Potter Fan Girls’ is more appropriate. They kept giggling and pointing at the two boys but if Sirius or James so much as gave them a glance, they turned away quickly and burst into a fresh batch of giggles. It annoyed Sirius to no ends but James found it amusing and purposely winked and smirked to get them riled up. He took out the snitch he always nicked from practice and did his letting it go and catching it again game. The girls let out so much squealing and shrieking that Sirius marvelled at their voice boxes and lung power.

Well, he would if today wasn’t such an anxious day. Dollie Kent had been avoiding him at meal times and ignored him during their classes together ever since he asked her out on Tuesday. Far from off-putting him, she just intrigued him even more. She wasn’t a fan girl, which was a plus of course, but she was such an odd girl and that, strangely, attracted him. She wasn’t the conventional blonde beauty, that Sirius knew. He also knew that many boys found her attractive, but she was as cold as marble and her chilly, stony indifference repelled, even scared away any keenness she inspired. Which was why, as far as he knew, no boy had ever managed to win her favour.

He ran his fingers through his hair and was surprised at how nervous he actually was. He shouldn’t be nervous! He was Sirius Black! Clever, Rich, Popular, Handsome, Funny and could have any girl he wanted with the snap of his fingers! So why was he getting worked up over one girl…

********************

“Ow!”

Remus pulled at the hood of his old, greying cloak, struggling to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight. He didn’t much like the sun but it was far more tolerable than the tortures inflicted by the moon. He had wanted to study in the library but Sirius had insisted that every member of the Marauders was required to give him ‘Moral Support’ for his date. Anyway, even if that wasn’t the case, Remus knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his studies whilst sitting in the stiflingly quiet, eerie library. He knew that his imagination would turn against him and replay images of Sirius and Dollie’s date. Of them laughing, having a good time, maybe even snogging…

No, Remus shook his head to chuck the thought out of his mind. No, it’s none of his business as to who his friend dated and what he does with her. He ran a hand through his wispy brown hair, massaging it at the same time. He was far too young to be having migraines but his ‘furry problem’ demanded him of his health and boyish vigour. Qudditch was out of the question for him since he had barely enough strength to walk to class, much less control and ride a broomstick, which was why he studied during his free time. It used the least amount of energy and required mental power, not physical, though he never thought that emotional strain would ever drain him as it was doing now.

A shriek of glee resonated through the stadium, a shriek that he thought should be concerned about but when he saw the source and explanation of the sound, hefurrowed his brow and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He should have known. James was teasing (mocking was far more appropriate to call it) his ‘fan girls’ with his snitch catching abilities. He could see the girls clapping, giggling, squealing, cheers, whatever you may call their actions as James elaborated his tricks even more.

Remus shook his head as he knew the girls’ reactions would just encourage him and make James even worse. He could also see Sirius, a mixture of annoyance and anxiety plastered on his face. He stared quizzically at Sirius, utterly confused. He obviously could see the source of Sirius’ annoyance but why should he be anxious? Remus had seen him go on a lot of dates, A LOT. But this was the first time he had ever seen him anxious and nervous over a girl.

He shut the worn book, knowing it was worthless to continue the futile studying. The intense rays flashed in his eyes as he surveyed the Quidditch pitch once more. When he laid eyes on the entrance, he felt a lump rise in his throat, threatening to choke him. For there, radiant as ever, was Dollie Kent.

********************

“I can’t do this,” Dollie mumbled as she entered the stadium, her hands quivering profusely. Why in the world had she agreed to do this? Maybe she could hide in one of the loos until this blew over. She was about to turn and amble out when a voice called out her name.

“Hi Kent! Fancy seeing you out here!”

She gave a forced smile and knew she was caught. Now there was no way she could escape this without Vivian or Lily finding out.

“Hey, Slayer. How was practice?” she greeted politely.

Abbey-Emma ‘Abs’ Slayer was the seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as well as Dollie’s dorm-mate. Dollie didn’t mix much with the other girls, other than Vivian and Lily, but she liked ‘Abs’ enough. It was hard to dislike her. The nickname came from the rumour that she had a six-pack hidden underneath her robes. Her muscle definition was second only to the male members of the Qudditch team. She was a nice girl, sparky and quirky with hyperactivity that was useful in her sport. She was astonishing on a broom, one of the best in school. Though she did well in the air, when she’s on the ground, she was strangely uncoordinated and tended to trip over the slightest thing, even a blade of grass.

“It went well, thanks for asking!” she beamed, “Black joined us for practice though! But we didn’t mind, he didn’t disrupt us or anything! He’s still here,” she pointed to the middle of the field. “Heard about your date,” she winked good-naturedly, “He’s nice.” She picked up her rucksack and broom and headed off, almost running into Pettigrew. “Have fun, Kent!” she called out encouragingly.

“Thanks, Slayer,” Dollie said weakly, nausea and dread overcoming her once more. She was about to walk over to Black when Pettigrew emerged beside her.

“Good evening, Miss Kent,” Pettigrew said squeakily, his small eyes darting from Black to herself.

“Evening,” she replied wearily, “What’s with the ‘Miss’, Pettigrew?”

“How are you, Miss Kent?” he asked in an indifferent tone and blithely ignored her question. He started walking and Dollie knew this was supposed to be her cue to walk along with him.

“Fantastic,” she answered sarcastically.

“And Miss Costa?” He didn’t seem to have noticed the sarcasm.

“Equally fantastic.”

“Miss Evans?” his tone changed from indifference to a softer, lighter tone when he said Lily’s name. This didn’t escape Dollie.

“The most fantastic of all,” she answered with a less cutting tone.

“That’s good.”

They walked in silence, during which Dollie thought of several different ways of running away. Plans she instantly forgot about when she saw Remus in attendance, sitting in the bleachers with a worn copy of a study book in his hands and his head protected by the hood of his cloak. Their eyes met and once again, he smiled that small smile of his while she gaped, nearly knocking into Pettigrew who had stopped suddenly.

“This is where I leave you, Miss Kent. Send my regards to Miss Costa and Miss Evans,” He bowed and scampered to where Remus was sitting. At that moment, she wished more than anything that she could trade places with Pettigrew.

“Hullo Dollie. Glad you could make it.” A voice startled her out of her thoughts as she turned sharply to face the voice.

“Using your friend as an escort, Black? I didn’t know you could be so naff,” she said, using her cynicism to hide her uneasiness.

“You don’t know a lot about me, Dollie. And by the way, this is a date so I’m sure it’s acceptable for us to be on a first name basis,” he said shrewdly.

“That’s quite alright. I’ll just stick with Black.”

“As you like, Dollie.”

********************

“So… What are we doing here?”

Wow, she could look really good if she really tried. She wasn’t wearing any make-up, which was a first in a date with him. In fact, other than her clothes, she looked like this was just another school day. This surprise just made him want her even more.

“Well…”

He had managed to get James to leave him and join the girls at the bleachers before she had arrived. He could see James smirking from across the pitch, his ‘fan girls’ practically drooling over his close proximity.

“I thought that since it’s such a nice day, we could go flying.”

The effect of the last word on her was shocking. Her face, though pale anyway, blanched while her large eyes became wider and her eyebrows almost disappeared. She opened and closed her mouth, imitating a goldfish, while all that could come out was, “Huh?”

“Flying. You know, broom, sky, like a bird-”

“I’m aware of what flying is.” The colour had come back to her face but her voice was quivering slightly while a sort of hard edge was creeping into it.

“Okay then,” he shrugged, her strange tone not fazing him. He brushed his sticky locks of hair away from his eyes and in a swift motion, whipped off his damp t-shirt and dropped it on the grass. As he stretched, he could hear his ‘fan girls’ screeching to louder proportions. His washboard abs glistened in the sunlight while he stretched his well-defined arm muscles. When he glanced at Dollie, she was smirking at him with disdain, not taking her intense eyes away from his own eyes.

“Well, Black, I guess you proved me wrong.”

“How did I do that?”

“You actually out-naff’d yourself.”

He felt a warm flush creep onto his face. He picked up his ‘Nimbus 1000’ and got on it, his back turned to her.

“Well, come on then.”

“Come on what?”

“Get on the broom.”

“I’m not getting on a broomstick, least of all with you,” she said incredulously, her arms folded in rebelliousness.

“Come on, I promise you’ll enjoy it. Most girls do.”

“I’m not ‘most girls’, Black.”

“Fine,” he inadvertently gritted his teeth in frustration, “I’m counting to three and then I’m going to swoop you off your feet while in the air.”

“Don’t you dare-“

“One.”

“If you do it, I’m going to-“

“Two.”

As he opened his mouth to say ‘three’, he felt a body hit his back. With that, he kicked off the grass and took to the air. It amazed Sirius the effect that flying had on him. Everything is silent except the wind in his ears, the breeze blowing in his face, the complete control he had over the broom. They were moments he hardly ever shared with anyone. The pressure of the arms around his waist shook him out of his reverie and he remembered that he was sharing this moment with her. He felt her slender arms encircled around his waist while she leaned her head on his bare back. They flew over the castle, the lake, the stadium, as far and as high as he could go. He didn’t know how long they soared the horizons but the sun wasn’t as bright as when they left the earth as they finally touched down on the ground.

She immediately let go of his waist and the closeness he thought they had shared instantly evaporated when he turned to find her trembling on the ground, as if her legs couldn’t support her. Her face was disturbingly blanched and was either covered with perspiration or tears. He held out his hand but all she did was glare at it and with much effort, she picked herself off the grass. She was still trembling profusely and looked as if she was going to fall over again.

“Dollie, what-?”

“Don’t,” she held up a hand to silence him, “Just don’t.” She looked like she was going to say more but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she turned heel and strode away.

He was temporarily in a state of disbelief but shook it off and ran after her. When he caught up with her, he grabbed her elbow, trying to stop her. He pulled her to him, her struggling to escape his grasp. “Dollie, what’s the matter?” he asked, worried.

“What’s the matter?! What's the matter?!” she said hysterically, “I didn’t want to fly, okay?”

“But then why did you get on?”

“I didn’t get on,” she said tearfully, “He,” she pointed in direction to James, “He pushed me. He pushed me onto the broom. I didn’t want to get on.” She lowered her eyes but not before he saw her red, puffy eyes. She had been crying. Was she…?

“Are you afraid of flying?” he asked softly.

“No,” she mumbled defiantly, “Heights.”

“Oh.”

They stood there in silence, a silence that seemed to last a lifetime. He didn’t even notice that he was still gripping her elbow when she wrenched it away. Even in the wretched state she was in, she still seemed so ethereal, so striking. With tears clinging to her eyelashes, making her eyes seem to glitter, she gave him one last withering look of disdain as she walked, almost ran, away from him.

A/N:- Not one of my best but tell me what you think. I did my research and yes, micro mini's, tube tops and converse shoes did exist in the 70's. Anyway, read and review!

P.S:- The character of Abbey-Emma Slayer is inspired by argetlam shadeslayer, one of my nicest reviewers.